What to make of Kansas football’s season-ending loss to Baylor: Takeaways & reaction

Anguish filled the faces of the Kansas football team on the sideline in Waco.

A team that hadn’t given up all season — keeping its slim bowl hopes alive with three straight upset victories — finally looked defeated against the Baylor Bears. And before long, it was over.

The Kansas Jayhawks began the season with Big 12 title and College Football Playoff aspirations. Instead, a disappointing start put them in a hole, and a beatdown on Saturday officially ended their chances at bowl contention.

Baylor defeated Kansas 45-17 at McLane Stadium. The Jayhawks (5-7, 4-5 Big 12) remain winless against Baylor in Waco, now 0-11 all-time.

After the Jayhawks got on the scoreboard first with a 19-yard touchdown run by Devin Neal, it was all Baylor.

The Bears led 21-10 at halftime. The Jayhawks would score another touchdown in the second half but would never get close the rest of the way.

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels finished 12-of-23 passing for 280 yards with two interceptions. Neal rushed for 133 yards and had one touchdown.

Here are four takeaways from the Jayhawks’ loss to Baylor...

No bowl game for the Jayhawks

After winning three straight games over ranked opponents — a first for a sub-.500 team in college football — the Jayhawks needed just one more win to reach a bowl game.

Well, KU didn’t come close to beating Baylor.

The Jayhawks finished the season below .500 for the first time since 2022 (6-7) and without a bowl bid for the first time since 2021 (2-10), Lance Leipold’s first year as KU coach.

In the preseason, the Jayhawks were picked to finish fourth in the media poll. Instead, they will finish no better than 10th.

Leipold has a record of 22-28 after four seasons with the Jayhawks. With the departure of 15 starters and about 30 seniors, Kansas will look to reload in the offseason.

The defense struggled

The Bears’ high-powered offense had averaged 40-plus PPG in the last five games before Saturday, and that was on full display against Kansas.

It took until midway through the second quarter for Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson to throw an incompletion. The Bears were on pace to score at least 40 points at halftime (and did).

Robertson went 12-of-18 passing for 199 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. He connected with wide receiver Monaray Baldwin for two deep-ball touchdowns. Kansas safety Marvin Grant was burned both times.

Baylor continued its dominance vs. KU’s defense in the second half. The Bears finished with 603 total yards to KU’s 491.

Kansas turnovers prove costly

Despite trailing 21-10 at halftime, the Jayhawks’ offense actually had more yards of total offense than the Bears (296 vs. 283).

Daniels went 8-for-15 passing for 152 yards in the first period but had a bad interception. He overthrew his receiver and Baylor intercepted the ball. On the subsequent drive, Baylor scored a touchdown.

Then, KU had another significant turnover. Daniels connected with tight end Tevita Ahoafi-Noa late in the second half for a 40-yard completion, but Noa fumbled the ball and Baylor recovered.

Although the Bears didn’t score on the drive — the Bears’ 53-yard field goal attempt hit the upright — the Jayhawks missed out on potential points.

Kansas would add another turnover in the second half when Daniels threw another interception.

Devin Neal shines

In his last-ever game in a Jayhawk uniform, Neal had another memorable day.

He was a lone bright spot for the Jayhawks. Neal had 133 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown.

Whenever he touched the ball, good things seemed to happen for Kansas. Unfortunately for KU, he couldn’t be everywhere — on every play — and the Jayhawks may have left some of his plays on the table.

Neal finished with only 20 carries for the game. For reference, he had 37 a week earlier against Colorado.

Neal ends his college career as KU’s all-time leading rusher. But the Jayhawks may have wished they used him more in games earlier this season, which may have flipped a result or two along the way.